1834 New York gubernatorial election

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1834 New York gubernatorial election
Flag of New York (1778-1901).svg
  1832
November 3–5, 1834
1836  
  Governor William Marcy (cropped 3x4).png Governor William Seward (cropped).png
Nominee William L. Marcy William H. Seward
Party Democratic Whig
Popular vote181,900169,008
Percentage51.84%48.16%

1834 New York gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
Results by county
Marcy:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Seward:     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

William L. Marcy
Democratic

Elected Governor

William L. Marcy
Democratic

The 1834 New York gubernatorial election was held from November 3 to 5, 1834 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. This was the first fall election in which the Whig Party participated.

Contents

Whig nomination

Candidates

Results

Seward fought hard for the nomination; those considered included Amos P. Granger, Daniel C. Verplanck, and others. Eventually Seward, then 33 years old, emerged as the consensus choice.

General election

Candidates

Incumbent Governor William L. Marcy was re-nominated by the Democratic Party to run against the nominee of the Whig Party, future governor William H. Seward. The Democratic Party nominated the incumbent John Tracy for Lieutenant Governor.

The Whig Party nominated state assemblyman Silas M. Stilwell for Lieutenant Governor.

Campaign

During the campaign, the Democratic press charged that Seward was too young to serve; the Whig press countered by giving examples of famous people, including DeWitt Clinton, Napoleon, and Henry Clay who had served at young ages. Both sides utilized "slogans and songs," turning the race into a "lively affair." [1]

Results

The Democratic ticket of Marcy and Tracy was elected.

1834 New York gubernatorial election [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic William L. Marcy (incumbent) 181,900 51.84% +0.33%
Whig William H. Seward 169,00848.16%−0.33%
Total votes350,908 100%

Sources

  1. Goodwin, Doris Kearns (2006). Team of Rivals: the political genius of Abraham Lincoln. Simon & Schuster Lincoln library (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   978-0-7432-7075-5.
  2. The Tribune almanac and political register 1838-1841. New York: George Dearborn & Co. p. 23. OCLC   2559580.